Planning a new allotment site by newbie

[Selymbria]

Hi all,

I have taken a neglected allotment site, I am told it is a 1/4 allotment approx. 65m2.

I have planned the below layout and have few questions:

- Shall I get a Shed or a GH? Shed or GH must be 6x4.
- Are the things I planned compatible i.e. how would you have allocated the space to these veg?
- What do you suggest I fill the beds with? I was advised to get mushroom compost.
- Will I need polytunnels etc, I see quite a few people protected their crops with nets.

Location is mid-Kent.




Cheers,
Sel

[veggiechicken]

Congrats on your new plot!
You want to grow a lot of veg that tend to do better in a GH or poly - toms, aubergines, peppers, melons. Choose your varieties carefully, to maximise your chances.

Shed or GH is your choice really - GHs need regular attention in hot weather. Shed's for shelter, keeping tools .......

[bikermike]

How close is your plot to your house?
what is the security like on the plot?

I would generally think a greenhouse will be used for lots of things that need regular attention. I'm lucky enough to have space at home for a greenhouse and a shed on the plot.

If you have space at home for you greenhouse I'd do that.

The other drawback of a greenhouse on the plot is the lack of security in terms of broken panes (by accident or vandalism) and the fact it's not a secure place to keep things like tools out of sight. (this isn't to say a shed is super-secure, but it is a bit more secure).


One compromise might be to put a tool chest inside the greenhouse (but you will end up finding it covered in seedlings when you want to put tools away).

[Snoop Puss]

Hi, as VC says, congrats on getting your plot.

Your plan looks OK to me apart from the apple trees, which are maybe a bit close. Other people more knowledgeable than me about apple trees might be able to comment more on that.

Apart from the strawberries, I'm not sure that anything you're proposing to grow will need netting.

My two questions are:

How many courgette plants are you proposing to grow? They're very productive and you might find yourself with more courgettes than you can eat or even give away.

And have you thought about what you might want to grow next year? The usual advice is avoid growing the same thing in the same spot two years running. Will you simply swap things over from one side of your plot to the other?

Best wishes for a great growing year.

[Thelma Sanders]

Maybe the apples are cordon? but in any case I hope they won't shade the next plot too much, as that can cause friction with plot neighbours. Here we aren't allowed to grow anything taller than 7ft, so check your rules.
The aubergines/tomatoes/peppers will be much better grown in a greenhouse or under tall plastic cloches, weather and blight make them difficult to grow uncovered.
You could save ground space by growing your cucumbers up trellis or wigwams, with their tendrils they usually twine ok with just a little tying in.
Tomato/pepper/aubergine/potato are all within the same vegetable family, so you can't grow these in the same beds next year, you'd need to move them all to the left-hand side.
Good luck.

[Cadalot]

Beds are wide at 1500mm, I find it a stretch at 1200mm and I'm 5ft8" make sure paths are min 600 or measure from toe to knee when on the ground so that you don't have to plant at an angle which can be murder on the body.

[nickdub]

I've built myself a combined GH-Shed in one part of my garden - which has a shared wall and a connecting door - it makes good use of the space for me, and as I was using my own materials etc and building from scratch I was able to make it to fit the available space.

[Snadger]

Hi and welcome to the vine.

Your shed could be something like this:-





It doesn't have to be an expensive bought one, I know, because I built a similar one out of scrap wood and windows.


I agree with Cad about the beds width being to wide as the whole idea is you never walk on the beds and do all the planting etc from the paths.

One other suggestion is that if you are adamant you want beds, don't put surrounds on them the first year as as sure as God made little apples you will change the bed positions the second year.

[Selymbria]

Many many thanks for all replies, pls keep it coming.

Allotment is very close to my house and it is super secure with full fencing and locked gate. I havent heard any issues whatsoever from neighbours. So I am leaning towards GH route and a locked tool safe next to it (keter plastic one) which I hope can get away with. Most holders have Shed but few have GHs. I saw one plot having both but I am sure it is not allowed.

Apple trees; I only have 1 I just planted (the leftmost one), it is only 1ft tall and I plan to train 3 them on a frame. I saw much bigger trees on the site. I thought about the shadowing issue but I will keep them small.

What about how to fill the beds? Do you recommend getting a certain compost and from where?

Cheers

[Selymbria]

Snadger, that ghed (sound like a good hybrid name to me) looks amazing. I wish I am handy as you as I would love to build one. Do you know any place that sell them?

[mcdood]

What about how to fill the beds? Do you recommend getting a certain compost and from where?

Cheers

Many different ways and depends on what your gardening method is going to be and what material you can lay your hands on. You could try nodig - there are a couple of methods for creating a bed for that too but the simplest would be to place a layer of cardboard over the top and then a few inches of compost on top of that and plant into that compost. If you fancy that route Charles Dowding is your friend And you will need to allocate space on your plot for compost bins for ongoing layering each year but compost bins are a good idea whichever gardening method you choose.
Do you have a water source on site ? If not then you will need guttering on your 'ghed' and water butts.

[Selymbria]

Yes, there is a tap 20m away so water is not an issue. I will go with the simplest method this year and learn. I heard the biggest issue is bandweed and slugs so I need to brace for them

[SarrissUK]

If you have slug issues and don't mind spending a little penny, get some nemaslug. It's a powder that you mix out with water and pour that all over your plot. A large pack should cover most of your allotment, not just the beds either. The nematodes basically kill the slugs and it's very efficient

Bindweed is a pain on my plot too, and has been on all my plots and gardens.... but once you cut them back, they're easy to identify and just keep hoeing them. I wouldn't bother digging them out, I just cut them back. They do weaken eventually.

Your layout looks good! If I had to choose, I'd have a shed over a greenhouse on the plot, mostly because anything in pots will need watering daily in the summer when it's sunny, and I can't get to my plot that often. I have a greenhouse at home though, and I grow most seedlings at home.

I've tried aubergines in full sun outdoors two years on the trot and got nothing from them despite being fairly decent summers. I would try them only in a greenhouse, but I prefer tomatoes, so no aubergine room in mine!

[Chestnut]

Hi Selymbria,
If you like eating home grown melons and aubergines, then I would suggest going with either a greenhouse or a ghed, as they tend to like a bit of warmth/shelter.

I have a greenhouse and no shed. Plot is too far to walk from home, so I usually take the car and whatever tools I need travel with me. Our site gets about 3 rounds of breakins each year and I wouldn’t like to lose my favourite digging spade;-)

[Selymbria]

Hmm, would a polytunnel over raised beds be the best of both worlds? I mean, giving aubergines a heated environment but requiring no watering (or less than in GH)?
I dont like the look of the tunnels tbh, too much plastic